In Love with the Prince (of Darkness, That Is)

Life continued for Dreama. At the end of the summer, Jesse began his courses at the university, and his job with the Sun. The commute into the big city took him only twenty minutes by bus in the morning, but getting home was another story. He'd come in every night looking drained, and crashed on the couch.

Nathaniel got his promotion at work, which meant that his schedule was much the same as Jesse's, and Craig was never home anyway.

Dreama didn't find herself in the apartment much, either. Between work--which she had stopped going to almost every Saturday night--and spending time with Taylor, even her brothers were starting to complain that she was never around.

Gemini whined about how they never spent any time together every time Dreama talked to her, and she was starting to get a little tired of it. Now, as she walked around her apartment, Dreama held the phone away from her ear slightly to block out Gem's tirade.

"Are you even listening to me?" Gemini screeched.

"Of course I am. Look, Gem, we've gone over this! He works full time days, I work day and night, and every minute I'm not sleeping or working--"

"You're spending with him."

"I'm trying to split between you guys, because you're my best friend, and he's--"

"Still not your boyfriend."

Dreama sighed. "What do you want me to say, Gem? No, he hasn't asked me."

"I think you need to start asking him about his priorities. I mean, the guy's taken you to a different city three times now, and you still haven't met his family, and he hasn't met yours. Don't you think that there's something just a little fishy going on?"

"So he hasn't introduced me to his parents. It's not like we're engaged."

"But you are in love with him."

"What? No. No!"

"Don't even try it. I've been your best friend since the third grade, I can tell when you've fallen. And you have fallen hard, Ms. M."

"That's ridiculous."

"No. What's ridiculous is you denying it and not worrying about all the secrets this guy's keeping from you!"

"Secrets?" Dreama cried.

"Do you even know where he works?"

"Some music store downtown--they sell vintage vinyl. Stacks or something like that."

"May I ask you why a boy as rich as he has a full-time job?"

"I don't know, Gem, maybe he likes working."

"Please. Honey, no one likes to work. And what about his room--you've said before how creepy you think it is."

"So it's a little darker than usual. Not everyone likes the sunlight the way you do."

"What about why he doesn't want to meet your brothers?"

"I don't want him to meet my brothers, either. They're pricks when it comes to the guys I date."

"You're such a liar! You told me last week you wanted to introduce them!"

"He's met Jesse."

"Ooh, well they can compare notes on having girls spend the night in their beds, then."

Dreama made a noise of protest, but Gemini cut across her. "Did you ever find out what he had that doctor's appointment for?"

"It was the doctor, Gem, it wasn't like he was going for STI testing."

"You don't know that."

"I don't get you! Seriously--you were the one that practically forced me to go out with this guy, saying that I needed a serious relationship. Now that I actually have one, you're trying to make me doubt myself! I don't need this."

"You're right, because what you have isn't a serious relationship! You've screwed the guy and he won't even as you to be his girlfriend, Dray! Wake up and smell the truth here! Either he's a freak, or a complete commitment-phobe, neither of which you need in your life. So unless you have a fantastic reason for sticking with him--such as you're in love with him--than I don't see why you're waiting around."

"I am not in love with him."